Going Lightweight: Stuff Sacks …

For those of you with a weak disposition, here is a warning. This is a very geeky post and, perhaps, more than a tad obsessive. Feel free to turn away now!

I get a lot of emails about gear, usually following something I’ve written about here. Recently, I’ve noticed a trend for people to talk about some substantive piece of kit and then tag on a question about stuff-sacks! Which stuff-sacks would I recommend!

This is a difficult area mainly because manufactures change their lines quite regularly. I suspect this is because many of them commission in buy in bulk, have stock for a few years and then simply move on at a later date. Over the last five or six years I’ve found some great and light sinylon sacks from Golite, Granite Gear and others. More often than not when I’ve gone to replace sacks or buy new ones the product I really rated is no longer available! So, if you’re concerned about stiff-sacks the first rule is to shop around — which these days means shopping around on the web.

Exped bags are very popular. They are tough and have a good waterproof role top. But they are heavy. By preference I wouldn’t use these often although I do use them for heavier duty stoves and cooking equipment as they are very strong. I prefer lighter sinylon bags though.

I search for my bags through the usual channels. Hike Lite often have good stuff here. I find the Granite Gear sacks to be very useful and light! Backpackinglight.co.uk have Exped as the mainstay of their line up but Bob regularly stocks lighter sacks although they may not be branded makes. As ever, drop Bob an email or chat to him or Rose on the phone. Winwood Outdoor also have good stuff, and their website is good at letting you know what is in stock.

But you can get lighter than sinylon. I’ve got some good sacks made of spinnaker fabric but more recently have been exploring cuben fibre sacks.

Cuben fibre is very strong and completely waterproof. But cuben needs to be worked by people who really know what they are doing! Ron Bell at Mountain Laurel Designs is now offering a great range of cuben sacks. These are described as envelope shaped but — when full — they look like tubes. For years I have kept my down sleeping bag and down jacket in a large Mountain Hardware plastic pack liner (these are branded differently in the USA). These are light-ish and waterproof. Not only are Ron’s cuben sacks light but they are compact and take up room. The problem with large capacity sacks or packs is that they tempt you to use the space! Volume is as much a curse as sheer weight for the ultralight hiker.

Ron’s cuben sacks are a bit pricey and it seems a bit odd to be importing stuff sacks. However, if you are ordering anything else from Ron then you really should consider adding some of these sacks to your order. A tip here. The MLD website recommends a certain size sack for your sleeping bag. This may seem too small but trust Ron; it will fit!

There may be people closer to home who will supply, or make, cuben sacks for you. I’ve lost touch with him recently, but Wayne at teamio might be able to help.

Skeptics who have continued to read this may well be rolling around the floor in laughter …

… but remember, ultralight hikers get to that point by being obsessive about every little bit of kit they carry. And they’re reasonably balanced individuals

It’s your hobby. Why not look at ultralight stuff sacks? You can shave more grams than seem possible by re-thinking your packing. Compact sacks mean less volume and ultimately contribute to the need for a lighter pack.